Department for International Trade

POST-COUNCIL WRITTEN MINISTERIAL STATEMENT: FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNCIL (TRADE), 10-13 DECEMBER 2017

baroness fairhead: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade (Dr Liam Fox) has today made the following statement.The EU Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) met twice in Buenos Aires during the 11th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The first meeting of the FAC (Trade) took place on the 10th December before the formal opening of the WTO Ministerial. The second meeting of the FAC (Trade) took place on the 13th December just before the conclusion of the Ministerial. At both meetings, the Council adopted Conclusions. Both sets of Conclusions are attached to this Statement. At the Ministerial Conference WTO members committed to securing a deal on disciplining certain forms of fisheries subsidies by the end of 2019. They also committed to improve the reporting of existing fisheries subsidy programmes. In addition, Ministers decided to extend the practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions for another two years, and to continue negotiations in all areas. In addition, WTO Members agreed to the creation of the working party on accession for South Sudan. The Ministerial met key UK objectives by setting the foundation for discussions on a number of new issues. A significant number of WTO Members agreed to advance discussions on: digital trade, domestic regulation in services, SMEs, and investment facilitation. The UK will work closely with the EU and other WTO Members to ensure that the momentum behind these initiatives is maintained in 2018. At the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference, 118 WTO Members adopted a Joint Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment, committing to promote women’s economic empowerment through trade. The UK supported this initiative.



Annex 
(Word Document, 15.48 KB)





This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
HCWS396